USDA Secretary Vilsack urged Congress to end the sequester, give government agencies a budget, then rapidly get along with the business of passing a workable five-year farm plan that will allow farmers to do their job....More

A growing number of farmers are pushing back against Mother Nature, thanks to what climate researchers have learned about El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), recurrent and normal temperature variations in a large swath of the eastern Pacific Ocean that influence climate conditions in the U.S. Southeast....More

Until September, farmers will essentially be stranded in what is shaping up to be a public policy impasse — and here’s the part that disturbs many of them: There’s even the chance, however remote, that the current farm bill may be the last one....More

The research and promotion arm of the cotton industry has teamed up with a private company to offer five new flavor-infused cooking oils. The new oils are aimed at expanding per capita consumption of cottonseed oil beyond the current three pints per year. Cotton Incorporated’s Tom Wedegaertner and Chef Donald Hoffman explain in this video from a media briefing at the Beltwide Cotton Conferences in San Antonio....More

Finding more profit in cotton for growers is an ongoing challenge for Tom Wedegaertner’s team at Cotton Incorporated, and cooperative efforts to produce flavor-infused, gourmet oils made from cottonseed may just be the ticket....More

Hard work, innovation and gritty determination have helped cotton farmer Linwood “Lyn” Vick, Wilson, N.C., get where he is today with his family’s farming operation — but having the right gene pool didn’t hurt a bit. In his case, the apple truly didn’t fall far from the tree....More